Poverty of ambition limits G8 fight against AIDS
26 June 2007
In its final summit communiqué, the G8 announced a package of measures and commitments that falls far short of meeting previous promises of achieving universal access to HIV treatment, prevention and care by 2010. This was the reaction of the Alliance and the Stop AIDS Campaign (SAC).
“Although the latest G8 meeting reiterated its previous commitment to work towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment and care by 2010, there is no agreed timeline or funding, and therefore nothing to hold people to account,” said Alliance executive director Alvaro Bermejo,
The G8 has promised to spend $60bn on AIDS, TB, malaria and strengthening health systems, yet has failed to say by what date this would be achieved, merely stating ‘over the coming years’. UNAIDS estimates show that $23bn will be needed for AIDS alone each year by 2010, and the G8 fair share of this figure would be almost $16bn. If the G8 announcement was delivered over five years like PEPFAR, it would provide just $12bn per year for all three diseases and strengthening health systems – far short of overall need.
The G8 has also committed to an unambitious treatment target, to provide treatment for only five million people in Africa ‘over the next few years’. The latest UNAIDS estimates predict the real treatment need in Africa by 2010 could now be up to 11 million people.
Steve Cockburn, Campaign Coordinator of the Stop AIDS Campaign said: “If actually delivered, this money will save lives, yet ultimately this outrageous poverty of ambition shown by the G8 will cost many more.”
“By falling scandalously short of what the UN says is needed to fight HIV and AIDS, and by setting treatment targets well below actual need, and only for one continent they have capped ambition at a level which will be fatal for many.”
Other sections of the G8 text relating to AIDS provided mixed news. There are positive commitments on concentrating efforts to achieve universal access to prevention of mother to child transmission services, and a commitment to longer term replenishment of the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria. More negatively nothing concrete has been delivered to address the critical shortage of over four million health workers, and only vague commitments have been given to address the prohibitive prices of key medicines.
“Ultimately the G8 failed to deliver on their promises, despite some of the steps made, and a huge amount of work remains to be done, not least in turning declarations into actions, and getting specific, accountable, and ambitious plans of how this commitment will finally be delivered,” said Cockburn.
Alvaro Bermejo added: “Two years ago the international community promised that no national AIDS plans would go unfunded, so we must focus on ensuring that individual countries come up with ambitious, realistic and costed plans, involving civil society and key populations, which will be the key lever in securing the increased funding required to reach universal access.”
“The G8 also made a welcome renewed commitment to long term predictable funding for the Global Fund, and we will look to September’s replenishment conference for G8 governments to see if this promise is kept.”
The Alliance is a member of the Stop AIDS Campaign, the campaigning arm of the UK Consortium on AIDS and Development.